jump an' manga
by peachfly
Summary: Mikami, Jack, Ryou Bakura and Train Heartnet are on an adventure to recover the two greatest treasures left in the whole world... will they be able to save the world, or will they mess it all up and die trying? some romance and strong language
1. Chapter 1

**Hi Guys! It's been way too long; I've been busy with all of my coursework and GCSE's... and way too much H-work. You know how it is. Anyway, I wanted to take a shot at another story, I've been reading a lot lately an' I've decided that my stories aren't as good as they could be, so here we go ^^**

**Jump an' Manga**

**By Roxie**

Anime. A simple enough word, a wide range of types, a great many hours wasted. Said in the right way, anime can shape a person's future, make dreams come true, bring fantasies (no matter how sick) to life. You don't believe me do you? In fact, you're probably wondering what I'm talking about, right. But that's another story, so I'm just gonn'a continue. The thing about anime is that it's hard to find, especially these days, our computers and electricity don't work as well as they used to. I think it had something to do with the earth splitting, it was quite an event apparently, obviously I wasn't alive at the time it happened, but the story goes that the entire planet was hit by a meteorite, there was a string of gigantic earthquakes, and then the planet literally split in half. We lost one half of Earth to space, and our heat dissipated really quickly, in fact, if the sun burns out we're as good as dead. Nice thought isn't it? But let me tell you, standing on the edge of the world and peering into deep space, it's amazing! And I get to see it every day, just by looking out of my window and past the golden stretch of sand... Oh, anime right? I was talking about anime... we'll, since anime was a huge hit before the world fell apart, we decided to preserve as much of the other half of the planet as we could and, since we lost Japan, anime and manga are the only things we have as reminders of what our world was once like. Which brings me to the topic of manga; I'm addicted, hands up, its good stuff. Anime is scarce now, but the plot lines were kept within manga, so it's practically the same thing. I have over a hundred different manga in our shop, they sell like crazy and we're always getting a horde of costumers. But, when they all leave and we close up for the night, I often take the leftovers back to my house and surround myself with the wonderful fantasies of the Japanese people. By the way, my name is Mikami Karazuki, Mimi for short... well; my actual name is number 983, but that sucks if you ask me, how come every new child born is given a bloody number until she (or he) turns 16? And even then we don't get a choice in our name! I know that our population is small and that we need to catalogue our people for safety reasons and whatever, but seriously, it sucks. So I call myself Mimi, not around the adults of course, but around my friends, they hate the number system as much as I do. My name however, comes from a manga I read back when I was 6, so it's not a very appropriate name for my country, which by the way, is England. Yep, all hale the English, survivors till the end! Which, is kinda true in a weird way, seeing as we only just survived, one inch more and we would be drifting in space right about now, see, the Earth split right next to Scarborough (my home town) and cracked in a sort of curve through France and the south pole, we lost everyone: from Russia and Italy, to China and Japan. Even after that, the half of France that survived have gone crazy, they started killing each other and resorting to violence, in fact, only the U.S.A and Canada have managed to stabilise their communities, we're sort of there, but Scotland refuses to co-operate with our government and they've begun to resort to cannibalism now that food sources are low, not to mention that all our water has nearly dried up. We don't get rain anymore, and there are no clouds in the sky... I wonder what rain looks like, I've only seen the sketches in my manga, long lines of blue and white, and clouds, what do they look like? Are they pink like in _Inuyasha_? Or white like in _Magikano_? Maybe there both, or maybe there a different colour all together... I wish I could find out, but that's impossible, we're doomed to die. We know our planet will fall soon, the sun is beginning to die, we can see it getting dimmer as the days pass, and I know that all the animals have vanished, even the insects are dead... we were doomed when those scientists tested that machine, that small spark of a black hole they created, attracting that meteor like a penny to a magnet... we were doomed since the year 2012.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ooh, yes it's an end of the world thing ^^ unusual for me I know, hows it going so far? Is it good? I hope so, but I'm afraid our fave anime boys don't come in for a while yet, don't kill me. :D so, hears chapter 2 for ya, enjoy.**

**Chapter 2**

Sunday, the day it all began if our text books are right, also known (back before computers were built, which is a LONG time ago) as "We sundayed in the country" literally, that's what Sunday used to mean, though how you Sunday in the country I'll never know... maybe you had to Wright Sunday in the ground and start singing like in one of my manga's, I forget which one... then again, maybe not. Sunday was also seen as first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians, ironic isn't it, that Sunday was when the world collapsed.

Despite the rumours and facts of that day, I would have loved to see it for myself: the massive machinery spinning at over 80000 miles an hour; the mixtures of chemicals as they prepared to make a black hole; the massive explosion that could be heard over half of the world; and of course, the huge column of black light ripping through the sky like a tornado... beautiful. Catastrophic, yes, But still beautiful. What I would give to see it for myself, feel those emotions of fear and excitement, see the arrival of the huge gray asteroid, watch as the world split in an instant, losing our seas, land, countries and people. To experience that rush of adrenalin as the world moved beneath your feet and the atmosphere snapped around only one half of the planet, gazing into space for the first time as the other half drifted away. Such thrill, to see that wonder, the biggest failure of mankind, and I wasn't even BORN yet! It's not fair. Ok, I wouldn't want to die, but compared to the world we live in now, back then seems like a theme park, and today feels like a prison.

"983?" I glanced up from my latest manga '_Sailor moon', _not one of my favourites I'll admit, but good enough.

"Yes?" I said, making my voice sound as happy as I could make it.

"I'm looking for a Manga." The woman replied matter-of-factly, I nodded slightly.

"Well, you came to the right place, looking for anything specific?" I asked, the woman nodded once, her brown hair bouncing in waves around her shoulders.

"I'm looking for a rare manga, it's called '_Black-cat'_, I was wondering if you might have it?" she smiled as my eyes widened.

Of all of the Japanese manga left in the world, only two anime shows had one manga written for them, these were; '_yu-gi-oh'_ and '_Black-cat'_, both limited additions written around the year 2000, there used to be loads of them, but most copies had rotted away or were simply lost with time_. _Luckily, most people didn't know of their existence, but for those who did, they would stop at nothing to get their hands on them... and of all the manga collectors out there; I was the only one who had position of the '_Black-cat'_ manga. It had been handed down to me by my late uncle, he had also been a collector of manga except that he was the more daring type, throwing himself into the cannibalistic countries and sorting through the ash and rubble he would find there. I used to dream of following him one day, but that dream died along with my uncle, he fell from the edge of the earth in a fight against a French-man, a stupid fight over a little piece of bread, and it killed them both. It was then that I decided that life was precious and that we should cherish the time we have left, but... I will never stop dreaming about it, having an adventure, just like uncle.

I turned my attention back to the lady in front of me and narrowed my eyes, It was surprising that a woman of this ladies posture would even know about the existence of my shop, by the look of her: she was an upper-class, filthy rich, posh type who rarly would leave their estates and order their butlers to go instead, on top of that, women weren't usually interested in manga or anime, I was used to hordes of men and young boys in my shop, begging for a good read.

"What of it, that manga doesn't even exist I'm afraid, not anymore. It's nothing but myth and legend" I answered evenly. The woman smiled and tapped her chin.

"I thought you might have it, it's written all over your face" she chuckled "Harriet, Harriet Forferd" she extended her right hand, I grasped it weakly.

"Mikami Karazuki, Mimi for short" we shook and she dropped my hand, her brow raising and inch or two.

"You are a little young to have a name aren't you?"She asked

"Yes, but the laws are stupid and immoral" I snapped back

"indeed" she smiled again, sending nervous shivers down my spine "We'll then, I have heard what I needed to hear, god day, Mikami" she bowed low and swept out of the door, leaving a single brown ribbon on the floor where she had stood.


	3. Chapter 3

**I've got nothing constructive to say, so I'll just start the chapter already...**

**Chapter 3**

Monday,

18th February,

Year 3000,

3:22pm,

My room.

I pulled the wooden box from beneath my bed carefully, blowing the inch of dust from the top and into my face, I coughed.

"Nice" I muttered sarcastically, placing the box in the middle of my plain red carpet, I stared at it for a minute; it wasn't anything special to the naked eye, just a dull, rotting, wooden box; the hinges had snapped off years ago, and there was a small hole near the base where a mouse had tried to get in. I smiled to myself and stooped to lift off the lid, inside there was at least 3 slabs of polystyrene, and a see-through plastic bag, inside the bag, was the only known copy of the '_Black-cat' _manga.

I pulled on the rubber gloves my uncle had left me and carefully lifted out the plastic bag, I then continued to place it in the centre of my bed and kicked the wooden box back under the bed, a few splinters were left on the carpet, but I didn't care.

"Black-cat, first edition... manga" I smiled slyly, it was still hear. After my encounter with Harriet Forferd, I had been a little worried about my hiding place for the manga, if she knew it was in my possession, then it was possible that she knew where I had hid it. "But, that possibility still stands..." I muttered to myself. I picked up the plastic bag and, using some rubber gloves from the kitchen, began to peel the manga from the bag. It was a small thing, smaller than an ordinary book, but twice as thick. Its binding remained untouched and the pages, although yellowing with age, where still in crisp condition, there was not a mark on the manga to suggest that it had been read, which of course, was because it hadn't been. When Uncle had first returned with the manga, he had come straight to me and said,

"_Never. Read this manga, niece. Not until the day you turn 16, don't you dare read this. Do you understand? Never!"_

I remember being shocked by his outburst, even scared slightly, but it wasn't anything new. My uncle was, and always had been, a nasty man by nature, that was why he was such a good collector, that was why I respected him, I even wanted to be just like him once. Maybe I still do... hard to say really, I hate being around others, I hate our economy, and I especially hate boys! But, I don't like adventure either, and I'm not very strong, or courageous, or lucky for that matter. I only have two traits that make me unique: my brain and my freedom of thought, other than that I'm no different from every other pathetic life form left on this planet. I probably should explain a bit more than that, you see, in my school there was only 515 students, of them, only 16 passed their first 3 GCSE's, and of those 16, only 1 got a perfect score every time, me. I got 3 solid A*, but if you ask me, that's because the tests were based around: Science, which I am deeply interested in and have studied for nearly 6 years with my father; Geography, which relates to my manga and the history of the world that uncle told me about; and English writing, also relating to manga, we had to write a short story about school life, pips! It was so easy I finished after 15 minutes and ended up sleeping through the rest of the test, just thinking about it makes me tired. As for my freedom of thought, I'm referring to how the entire country looks up to the council like there a bunch of bloody gods! It's ridiculous, they can't even control Scotland properly and they think that there the blinking kings of the half-world, they use us like a catalogue system, force us into jobs that we hate, and trap us within our own country! My uncle had to sneak out of our own estate for goodness sake, never mind finding someone to hire a boat from without alerting the council, it's madness!

I shook my head to clear out those thoughts and concentrated on the problem at hand, Harriet Forferd. "She must be smart" I commented to know one in particular. "She figured out that I have the manga" _I guess it was only a matter of time... _I thought sadly, now I would have to re-locate it, I needed to find another hiding spot, and fast!

_What do I know for sure? _ _She's rich, powerful maybe, probably has a lot of contacts, police too. Assuming the worst, maybe even spies. She'll be persistent, just like every other collector, possibly insane. She's posh, defiantly well educated, smart... or she knows smart people. Judging be her clothes, she shops locally, maybe at the old mall or the local tailors, her shoes were defiantly from chika's heels, that's really close... so she's had plenty of time to observe my behaviour, that explains it better. Now for her name, Harriet, an English version of the French __Henriette, so I'm assuming she's either English or French born. She's old enough for a passport, and defiantly rich enough, but you can't cross the countries without permission from both councils, and the French council doesn't exist at the moment, so she's English born. Good, I have the facts... Now, what to do about her... moving house is out of the question, she'd just follow me, hiding the manga elsewhere is bad also, I'd run the risk of being discovered... no, I need another plan..._

I tapped my chin impatiently, waiting for my brain to give me the answer, when I heard a loud crash coming from the far room, my uncle's study...

My head whipped round so fast that it made me dizzy, I clutched the manga to my chest and slid off the bed, after allowing time for my dizziness to pass, I advanced to the study and tried the door. It was locked, just as it always was. I pressed my ear to the wooden door and evened my breathing, there was a dull rustling coming from within the room and the almost silent pad of footsteps. I swallowed the lump that had rose in my throat, I knew I was the only one in the house, after all, my family had been killed during a terrorist attack almost 4 years ago, I had always lived on my own, caring for myself and bringing in my own wages, at 15 I was very limited in what I could accomplish, but I still made enough to get through the day.

The rustling continued. 

I took a deep breath and, standing on tiptoe, reached for the hidden key above the door frame, I slotted it into the rusty lock, and turned it slowly to the right, there was a soft _click_ followed by the sound of tumblers, the door creaked open.

My eyes widened and I gasped out loud, my uncles study looked like a bomb had hit it: old notes and papers were strewn across the floor; the desk had been overturned, its contents broken or damaged; the bookcase had been tipped over and various pages had been ripped from their spines; all the mirrors were smashed, their glass spread along the carpet like a line of needles; the world flags and the curtains had been ripped into tiny pieces of fabric that had begun to blow out of the now open window. A man stood in the middle of the room: his dark eyes sunk into his head; his short hair blending into his black suit; he had a horrid gray Cain in his hand, though he couldn't have been over 30; his sleeveless suit showed off the bulging muscles that rippled down his arms; and the tight brown trousers illustrated the muscles in his legs, a wrestlers legs, strong, powerful, fast, and agile legs. He smiled at me, a wicked grin that didn't quite reach his eyes; he flexed his fingers against his Cain and straightened his shoulders, he was at least 6 feet tall and quite slim despite his physique. I squinted slightly and examined his face again, I realised with a jolt that his eyes weren't just dark; they were flat black, all pupil, like some kid had grabbed a black marker and filled in all the white. I suppressed a shudder and drew my eyes away from his face, as I did, he began to speak.

"Are you the daughter of Harold Quist?" he asked bluntly, he sounded young, more around 25 than 30.

"No, Harold Quist was my uncle, I am Mikami Karazuki" I answered, using the superior tone I had learned from my uncle.

He nodded slightly "My mistake"

"What do you want with my cousin?" I demanded, wondering silently if he knew she was dead.

"Nothing, it is you I want" he replied, his bored tone never leaving his voice.

I swallowed loudly "What do you want with me?" my legs shook slightly as I waited for his answer.

"I wish to obtain a certain manga, for my superior, she is very adamant that I present it to her... the one in your hand I do believe" This time his smile seemed even more dangerous. I clutched _'Black-cat'_ closer to my chest and sneered.

"It's not for sale, and if you think I'll let you get your filthy hands on this manga, your surly mistaken!" I snapped, whirling round and bolting for the stairs, I heard him curse and follow me from the room. I brought up the plan of the house in my head and began mapping my escape route, swinging over the banister and flicking the hidden switch underneath it, I fell through the trap door in the floor and flicked another switch on the wall, instantly sealing the door just as the man fell on top of it, he landed badly and screamed. I ran down the secret passage as he pounded on the trap door, it wouldn't hold for long, turning a sharp right I pressed on a fake stone attached to the wall, another door opened and I slipped through, the door closing silently behind me just as the man fell into the passage, and I knew I was safe. Following the new passage, I turned left once and then right at two more junctions until I heard the familiar sounds of running water, I was in the sewer system.

During my Uncles time, getting out of the street in secret was like running a marathon, he had wanted a quick, easy and undetectable way to leave the country in case he went on another expedition or if he was discovered, to achieve this goal, he had built hidden passages underneath and within the house, each one leading to a different part of the country or to a certain sewer system. When I told my uncle I was interested in his studies and collections, he gave me a tour of his secret tunnel system and showed me all the routs to, and out of the house, he even gave me a map so I could memorise the routs! This is, of course, exactly what I did.

I was now in the west sewer system, in the main pipe, if I kept to this route I would eventually reach Bradford city centre, give or take a couple of miles. However, I had no desire to go to Bradford, that was the city where the council had been seated after London had collapsed from the earthquakes, plus if Harriet had been watching me, she would probably expect me to go to the nearest standing city, so Bradford was out of the question.

"But, where then?" I mused aloud, my voice quietened by the rush of sewer water. I saw a sign to my left indicating that I was underneath Chesly town, another place that had been destroyed during 2012. I wandered over to the sign and pressed against the last letter, a small cubby hole appeared above the sign, and inside was a large rucksack filled with dried food and some rather warm water bottles. I sighed happily and pulled it out, laying the manga inside the rucksack, I checked the food over and decided that it would be good for a few days, the water however, looked very old and probably wasn't very good to drink, but I couldn't afford to be picky. The next cubbyhole was over in Bradford and I wasn't going to risk going there, which means that my next refill is in Chestisher, just below the Welsh border, a very long walk away.

The cubby holes had also been a little invention of my uncles; he had been the council's sewer man once, building and fixing the major sewer lines for every city in the UK, he used this job to secretly modify the tunnels and keep stashes of food for when he went on an expedition, although, he originally used them to keep extra food rations for the other workers, the council didn't have the money to pay the sewer men equally so most of the money went to the chief (my uncle, of course) this was bad because the men couldn't get any food, and they weren't allowed to quit unless they either: died, or were injured beyond ability to work. My uncle saw the men starving to death, and decided to store food for them all, it was stolen food of course, my uncle would never use his money for any of them... but still, he saved a lot of lives using this system, and when he died, the workers decided to keep these cubby holes a secret, out of respect for him.

Well, it helps me greatly, thank you uncle!

Grinning madly, I yanked the pack onto my shoulders and turned to shut the cubby hole, just as I was about to press the button, I spotted a single piece of paper at the back of the hole. Standing, once again, on tiptoe, I reached in and carefully lifted out the paper; it had been folded 3 times into a very uneven square, the edges were yellow with age and were beginning to crumble away, there was a brown stain on the left side that reminded me of coffee. Almost overflowing with curiosity I gently opened the paper, it was a letter, I recognised the writing instantly, it was from my uncle.

"To Marisa Nowata..." I read aloud, the name of my mother made my heart pound, a letter to my mother!

_To Marisa Nowata_

_I've done it! You said I was crazy, but I've done it! Oh Marisa, it's so wonderfully simple, all those dead ends and fruitless searches, but I've done it! Don't worry my sister, I am well and I hope to return soon, your last letter however, was disconcerting. Are you ok? I am so glad to hear of your child, a young girl you say? I must greet her, how wonderfully blessed you are, to have not only a son, but a daughter as well!_

"A brother... this must be before we lost Samuel" I muttered to myself, my heart became heavy with his memory as I continued to read.

_As I said sister, I shall return within the month. Our research had led us to believe that what we sort was within the northern tunnel, but according to an old manual that I have discovered; our treasure is actually within the Western tunnel! It is marvellous news my dear, the lost manga, I have found it! Soon I will have both, and then I will cease my searching. I swear to you sister, I will cease after I obtain this manga._

_Harold Quist_

_H.Q._

The letter shook in my hands; this was the first team expedition my uncle had ever gone on, the first time he finally found one of the lost manga's... the '_Black-cat'_ expedition!

I rubbed my finger against the edge of the letter, there was another piece of paper attached to the back by the coffee stain, I peeled it off slowly and examined it, it was another letter... addressed to me!

_To my dear niece, 983_

_I am sure that if you are reading this, it means that the house is no longer safe or that you have been attacked, no doubt that I have long since passed away. My dear niece, I'm sorry that it has come to this, but I must excess that I have failed you, you looked up to me so much and I let you down. I failed in my expedition, and in doing so, I have lost my one drive for life... however my dear, I can now pass my knowledge onto you, you can succeeded where I have failed, you are the hunter now, the expedition is yours. Please my dear, I trust in you so completely, finish what I started! If you follow my instructions, I will lead you to what we desire the most, I trust you have the rare manga in your possession, I know you would not flee without it, open it my dear, to the middle page, you will find my instructions. Follow them with care, you will need a partner, someone you trust, to help you. Find it my niece. Find the last forgotten manga. Find 'Yu-gi-oh'._

_Harold Quist_

_H.Q._


	4. Chapter 4

**Agh! My chapters aren't long enough -_- this sucks, I write 6 pages and it come up as a small paragraph! Oh well, I'm done ranting now ^^ so, hears chapter 4...**

**Chapter 4**

"What the hell are you doing here 983?" 979 muttered sleepily. It was about 10 pm, the moon was shining brightly, illuminating the deserted streets of Frankford. I stared at my friend with a weary expression, it had taken hours to reach this street underground, plus I was about to place my trust within the only person I considered a friend. Worse, he was a boy.

"Sorry 979, but it's urgent. Are your folks home?" I breathed, pushing past him and making my way towards the couch, it was conveniently placed at the end of the hall for visitors. Well, he did live at a dentists so it kinda made sense.

"No, when are they ever? There doing some more community work over in Bradford, but that doesn't matter, how did you get hear? How did you even know I lived here?" he demanded, following me lazily to the couch and flopping down on the far seat, his long honey coloured hair blending into the couch.

"I followed you home once" I admitted, shrugging casually, his eyes widened slightly, but he said nothing. "As for how I got here, I used the secret underground tunnels beneath the main roads" I explained, watching his face very carefully. His eyes widened considerably and he sat up straight, suddenly looking very interested.

"What tunnels? There are really secret tunnels? Wow, how incredible! How did you know about them? Can I see? Oh wow Mimi! Wow, wow, wow!" He was practically bouncing on the couch as he spoke, his ponytail bouncing with him and his blue eyes sparkling with excitement. I sighed, _boys!_

"Listen to me, Jack!" I emphasised his chosen name and stared hard at him, he stopped bouncing.

"This is serious... isn't it?" he asked, crossing one leg over the other, suddenly he was all business. I nodded, "Yes, I have a task to complete, and..." I breathed in deeply, _here we go, _"I need your help" I finished, barley managing to keep the disgust out of my voice, 979 still flinched though.

"My... my help? Are you sure... I know you prefer to do things on your own terms and... My help? Me.... I don't know... I..." He stuttered, his words almost incoherent.

"Listen Jack, I know I hate company, I hate boys, and I hate asking for help, in fact, I hate almost everything about this stupid planet! BUT, if I could do this on my own, you know I would, but I need a navigator... and you're the only one that I... _trust" _I strained on the last word. 979 was looking at me in complete shock, he began to fidget a little as he thought of his response, I took this time to examine my _friend_, he wasn't looking to good: there were large circles under his eyes to indicate his lack of sleep; his blonde ponytail was leaning to one side and the hair looked quite messy; he was still in his day clothes, a tatty parker and some worn-down jeans, completed with some second-hand gray trainers; he didn't have any socks on.

"You look awful..." I whispered suddenly, he jumped in surprise and began to laugh, shakily placing one hand behind his head.

"Oh, I'm fine. It's just... filling in for my folks, you know?" he smiled encouragingly and I couldn't help but smile back. "Ok" he said, looking me straight in the eye "What do you need me to do?"

10:20 pm

Scarborough

Mrs Harriet Forferd

_Mrs Forferd wasn't accustomed to failure, she had always gotten what she desired, and desired what she hadn't gotten, it was simple logic, human desire to have what he/she didn't possess. Mrs Forferd knew this all too well, and what she wanted, she had always gotten, this had been true for over 15 years, and it wasn't about to stop now. She wanted that manga, and she would get it, no matter the cost! One stupid little gnat wasn't going to get in her way... or, that was what she had thought, that was why she'd sent Jonson to take care of her, a big strong teen like him would have no trouble apprehending what she wanted, she knew that... or, she thought she did._

"_Mam, Jonson is here to see you" The butler greeted her with a polite bow from the doorway._

"_Very well, send him in" she answered just as politely, the butler nodded and allowed: a very tired, very dusty, and very smelly Mr Jonson to pass through. Harriet gasped as she examined her henchman, he was covered in blood from his left leg to his right shoulder, and he was clutching his shoulder like it caused him great pain, he frowned as he staggered to the window and sat on the ledge._

"_What happened" Harriet demanded, sitting next to the battered teen._

"_The girl mam, she'd trapped the house... there were so many traps, so many doors... I lost her in the sewer system mam, I'm sorry" he mumbled, each word causing him to shake with anger._

"_No, it's ok Tim, its ok... I'll deal with this one, personally" Harriet frowned thoughtfully, and swept from the room, leaving a single, brown ribbon on the sill. Tim picked it up carefully and began to twine it around his fingers. "You're in for it now, girl" he hissed to himself, and giggled._


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi there ^^ so far... I got no reviews (sulks in corner) -_- ok then, I'll just have to make my chapters even better than before! ^^**

**Chapter 5**

"You want me to WHAT?!" Jack gasped, leaning so far back that he nearly fell off the couch.

"I want you to gather supplies for a long trip, we need rope and a flashlight, maybe a pocket knife, compass, maps and a pass port" I repeated, sighing in irritation.

"Why?" He exclaimed, slumping into the cushion.

"I told you, were going to look for the second lost manga!" I snapped. Honestly, boys could be so unbelievably dim at times.

"Right, right... but, this is illegal Mimi! We can't just go waltzing down the street and ask for these supplies, we'll get found out... and besides, how do you even know, or hope to find out, where the second lost manga is in the first place?" he finished smugly, crossing his arms over his knees.

I smiled, "with this" I replied, slowly lifting the first lost manga from my pack, Jack jerked backwards in surprise and fell off the couch, his head banging against the thin-carpeted floor quite painfully.

"Where did you get THAT?!" he exclaimed excitedly, a huge grin spreading over his face.

"My uncle gave it to me when I was 6 years old; I wasn't allowed to read it until I turn 16... But then, I found these..." I explained, pulling the letters from my pocket and handing them to Jack, he read them quickly, scanning the writing for authenticity and making sure it wasn't a joke, after he was satisfied, he handed them back.

"Incredible..." he muttered. He bowed his head for a moment, a movement I recognised all too well, he was thinking.

Though it was true that I was the only student to get a perfect score at school, Jack wasn't that far behind, in fact, if Jack was just a little less lazy, he could easily beat my score and probably every other person left on the planet! But, he was too smart for his own good, during pre-school Jack had always aspired to do well, so he never held back during his studies... but, the other kids began to pick on him, taunting him because he was smart, nobody wanted to be his friend and he began to get lonelier and lonelier, eventually he just gave up, he decided that being smart wasn't worth the abuse you got for it, so he became lazy and difficult... I guess it kinda works for him, but he still only has one friend and that's me...

Unlike Jack though, I don't mind showing people how smart I am, it shows them who's in charge and sorts out the bullies from the softies. I decided when I entered secondary school that I was going to have only one friend, preferably a girl, but that friend must be a true friend, someone who accepts me the way I am, not for what they think I should be like. That was when I met Jack, I just saw him one day, being a loner near the English rooms. I was being picked on by some year 10 kids and I was all set to punch their lights out, when Jack saw what they were doing and ran over to help me... unfortunately, he got the timing wrong and ended up getting punched in the gut, that was when I attacked them, I'm not sure why, it just irritated me that they would punch someone who had tried to help me, so I knocked a few of their teeth out, maybe broke a few noses and I defiantly sprained the leaders ankle... I also got suspended for 3 weeks, along with those bullies, and Jack just because he happened to be there. We were friends ever since, though I never told him we were friends, I just hung out with him allot. I think he knew though.

"Ok Mimi..." he said suddenly, snapping me out of my flashback. "My dad used to go on a few expeditions for the council when he was in charge of re-con, he might have the things we need in his study... but there's something I don't get..." he trailed off.

"What is it?" I asked, getting slowly to my feet and helping him off the floor.

"...Why didn't you bring any of these things with you when you came over, I mean... wasn't your uncle a great explorer or something? I thought he would give you these things" he pointed out, straitening his shirt.

"Yer... but I was attacked at my house" I admitted, Jack gasped once again. "I used the secret tunnels to escape, and this pack was in the tunnels... speaking of the pack, I know your low... but I need some more water, and some more food... also, you need a shower and a change of clothes, no offence, but you stink" I giggled, holding my nose. Jack laughed, despite the worried look on his face, and nodded.

"Get what you need from the kitchen, I'll be back in a bit" he said, running up the stairs and into the bathroom, I heard the soft trickle of the shower echoing along the landing and smiled, Jack was such a reliable boy.

I wandered into the kitchen and pulled open the small fridge, there was a small bowl of strawberries on the top shelf, along with a single slice of cheddar which I began to nibble on, it was delicious! One the second shelf, hiding behind an empty bottle of milk, was: a few packets of dried biscuits; 3 small water bottles; one packet of white bread and a handful of bananas, I grabbed all of it and shoved it into the pack, making sure the manga wasn't getting crushed or bent in any way. The bottom shelf was relatively empty: there were another 3 bottles of water, big ones this time, and a packet of frozen peas, I added these to my pack as well and closed the fridge. As I was leaving the kitchen, I caught sight of myself in the hallway mirror, I looked awful! My usually tidy, shoulder-length, brown hair, was sticking up all over my head at weird angles; my green army shirt was crinkled and covered in stains, some from the sewer, some from my breakfast; even my usually bright blue eyes seemed dull and tired.

"Oh great" I muttered to myself "Now I'm going to have to ask for a change of clothes as well" I glared at my reflection and heard someone snigger behind me, it was Jack.

"You look better" I commented drily, examining my now clean friend: he was wearing a crisp brown shirt with unusually short sleeves; green combat trousers, and some brown boots that looked brand new.

"There my dad's" he said, catching my stare, I scowled at his shoes and he started laughing. "Oh, I got these as well" he added, rummaging in his trouser pockets, he pulled out; a compass, maps, a pass port, a tiny pocket knife, and a small brown cap, he handed them all to me and took the pack from my hand, swinging it over his shoulders he adjusted the handles until they felt comfortable, smiling when they did, he looked back at me.

"Go have a shower Mimi, my mum has some old clothes you can borrow in her room, I put them on the bed for you... also, I'll carry the pack for you, you can take the extras" he winked and laughed at my expression.

"Oh come on Mimi, you look dead tired and you're in no state to carry a pack as heavy as this, even if you are strong" he added quickly, catching my expression. I sighed and shook my head in defeat.

"Fine, I'll be back" I said, running up the stairs and into his mum's room, I grabbed a few of the clothes Jack had laid out and headed for the bathroom, shoving the clothes and items onto the chair, I turned the nozzle on the shower head until some warm water began to drip out, satisfied, I peeled off my dirty clothes and hopped into the relaxing shower. I sighed as the water hit my back and straightened all the knots from my hair; _it's good to be alive!_

_Harriet stared disapprovingly into the hole where Tim had broken through the trap door, there was a thick layer of dust at the bottom whish showed two sets of feet, one set belonged to her personal scientist, James Le'Garter, he was an illegal immigrant from France who held a great amount of Harriet's interest. The other set, belonged to her bodyguard, a tough ex-boxer named Henry Virtanen who had sword his loyalty to her during her teenage years; they were quite close as children so it had come of no surprise to Harriet's followers that he would become her bodyguard. James leaned forward and squinted into the darkness, a small smile spread across his face._

"_Remarkable, simply astounding" he commented, a hint of glee in his voice._

"_What is it?" Harriet demanded_

"_The design of this tunnel Mam, it's ingenious! I can count at least 17 different passages along this single stretch of corridor alone, there are so many fake stones and hidden buttons... it's amazing. Although, I could do much better, there are definite improvements that could be made... a cooler system perhaps... or maybe-"_

"_JAMES!" Harriet snapped irritably, the scientist frowned and bowed his head. "Can we find her?" She continued. James gazed down the tunnel once again and smiled, he reached into his white lab coat and pulled out a flashlight, he looked back up to Harriet and nodded._

"_Easily" he said, flicking on the flashlight. It cast an eerie blue glow down the corridor, illuminating all of Mimi's hand and footprints, Harriet smiled wickedly and Henry cracked his knuckles._

"_Excellent" _

I was quite surprised at how well Jack's mum's clothes fit me, I pulled down the corner of the faded brown top and adjusted the dark blue jeans, I grabbed a belt from the bed and wrapped it around my waist, slotting the pocket knife underneath it. I tied the pass port around my arm and shoved the maps and compass into my pockets. I picked up my other jeans and took the letters and my watch from the pockets, after wrapping the golden watch round my wrist and pocketing the letters, I grabbed the brown cap Jack had given me and shoved it on my head, tucking my hair underneath it gently. After checking myself out in the mirror, I checked my watch and hurried from the room, Jack was waiting for me at the door, he smiled when he saw me.

"You look nice" he smiled, tilting his head slightly. I rolled my eyes and pulled open the door.

"Let's move it, I have a feeling that whoever attacked my house, might have an idea about me coming hear... I don't really want to be here if they have" I grimaced slightly and led the way down the street to a different man-hole, Jack following close behind. I checked my surroundings to make sure we weren't going to be seen, bent over, and lifted the cover from the hole, a horrible smell rose from the darkness and I heard the comforting sound of running water. Indicating with my hand, we descended into the sewer; Jack replaced the cover before he came down and gagged when the smell hit him.

"Jeese, I hope we get out of here soon!" he commented, holding his nose. I laughed and nodded, leading him to the far wall; I pressed on another fake stone and watched as the wall came open. Jack smiled and reached into his pockets, he pulled out a pair of fingerless gloves and slipped them over his hands, I looked at him questioningly.

"Think about it Mimi, if these intruders of yours are as clever as you think they are, there gonn'a know how to track your finger prints... so I think you should let me press those stones from now on, seeing as gloves don't leave a heat signature" He explained, my eyes widened and I nodded, Jack really was smart!

"Ok, then... but let's hurry, I want to get somewhere safe before I show you my uncle's instructions" I said, hurrying through the door, Jack nodded and followed behind, I flicked another button and the wall slid back into place, Jack whistled.

"Impressive" he commented, following me down another corridor. I stopped after 14 metres and pointed to another stone, Jack used his gloved palm to push on the stone and another door opened; we stepped through just as it began to close automatically and continues walking for another 6 metres. Jack opened another door and we slid inside, there was no light within this corridor and I gasped at my own stupidity.

"I forgot about flashlights!" I exclaimed, smacking my forehead. Jack laughed and drew a small pocket light from his trousers; he handed it to me and grinned.

"That's why I'm here" he said smugly, I scowled but nodded gratefully.

"Ok, this is far enough anyway" I wandered over to the far wall and sat down, Jack did the same. After rooting around in my pockets for a bit, I pulled out a piece of paper that I had found in the middle of the manga and handed it to Jack, he bent his head and began to read.

_Read this carefully; do not under any circumstances ignore an instruction! Everything is vital in this expedition, down to the fine detail, my instructions may be brief and I can now tell you that some of them might be difficult to understand, but you're a smart girl niece, I know you can do it!_

_Now, firstly: do you remember the map of the tunnels I showed you? Good, go to the 5__th__ side junction in the southern tunnel, after 342 metres you will see a patch of graffiti on the wall, in the centre of this there is a small groove within the wall, press on it. When you see a small slit appear in the wall, use the key I gave you, it's in your watch... These are my first instructions; you will find the others within the wall. Good luck._

"Ok then" Jack nodded, handing the paper back to me. "Do you have the key?"

I nodded "Yer" he leaned over as I twisted the top of my watch, after I had rotated it about 90◦, a small pop could be heard, I lifted the top of the watch up to reveal a tiny key hidden inside, Jack smiled.

"You and your uncle really are amazing" He shook his head as I closed the watch. "Truly amazing"


	6. Chapter 6

**STILL NO REVIEWS!!!! Waa T_T you all hate me... Oh well, my story's doing great on Deviant art, I've even drawn up a front cover ^^ check it out! ****.com/art/Jump-an-manga-154090262**

**Chapter 6**

Walking 324 metres is easier said than done, by the time we got a glimpse of the graffiti slapped randomly across the wall, we were beat. I glanced sideways at Jack, he wasn't panting for breath like I was, but he still looked drained and my suspicions were confirmed when he dropped the pack and slid to the floor.

"You ok?" I asked, dropping down beside him.

"Doing better than you" he grinned as I rolled my eyes.

"Yer well, I'm beat!" I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the cool dirt wall, there wasn't much light down here except for the torch, so I fell asleep quite quickly, the torch light dimming as Jack began to snore.

"_Where is she heading?" Henry grumbled irritably, Tim gave him a sideways glance and shrugged._

"_Why the hell would I know?" he muttered, flashing the blue light along the sewer floor, bright heat spots in the shape of feet appeared in front of him. "But as long as we have this" he lifted the flashlight "We'll find out soon enough"_

_Henry grunted and shook his head "when I get my hands on that girl, she's going to pay for making me wander the sewers with you" he growled, his hands clenching into fists. Tim sighed and tried to ignore his partner, which was very hard to do..._

"_What the?" Tim stopped moving, Henry barrelling into the back of him and falling backwards, Henry cussed and grabbed Tim's shirt._

"_Why the hell did you stop!" he snarled. Tim waved the flashlight at a solid wall and then to the floor, the heat prints went under the wall._

"_There are no hand prints" Tim spoke slowly, allowing the information to process within Henrys small brain. "Therefore, she must be using gloves... also, there was a huge gap between the prints back there, and now look" he shined the light back to the floor, Henrys eyes widened. _

"_There are two sets" he noticed gleefully_

"_Yes, she's travelling with someone else... If it's who I think it is, then this will make our job a whole lot easier" He laughed nastily, his black eyes shining in the dark._

"Jack!" I pushed against his shoulder gently, he grunted and rolled over, instantly causing his head to hit the floor, his eyes shot open and he yelped.

"OW, ow, ow, ow!" he moaned, rubbing his new bruise tenderly, I laughed.

"Come on Jack, I've got the next instructions, and a few other pieces that I need you to look at... I haven't read any of the notes yet, but I did find this" I smiled and pulled another key from around my neck, Jack's eyes widened.

"Oh great, another bloody key" he grumbled, a smile breaking over his face. I sighed and passed the notes over to him, he smiled again and picked up the first sheet of paper, it was another letter.

"Dear niece,

If you've made it this far without incident, then congratulations are in order. I'm sure you realise that the possibility of being followed is very high when you are on such an important expedition, it is also possible that you will have difficulty from here on out. My instructions are on the other sheet of paper, make sure you have acquired the other key and the length of rope at the back of the hole, both of their items are necessary to continue... one more thing, be careful. Watch for the black eyed boy.

H.Q." Jack finished reading and handed the paper back to me; I scanned over it again and frowned.

"Who's the black eyed boy?" Jack muttered thoughtfully

"He's the one who attacked my house" I said bitterly. Jack gasped, but said nothing, I stood up and tossed the rope towards him, and he wrapped it around his arm and stood up, hoisting the pack over his shoulders once again.

I sighed "let's go"


	7. Chapter 7

**I GOT A REVIEW!!!!! :D I'm mega happy now ^^ hears the next chapter ;)**

**Chapter 7**

Harriet

"What did you find?" John asked politely, ignoring the rank stench of sewer water that drifted from Tim and Henry's clothes. Tim shrugged off his black coat and allowed one of Jon's assistants to hang it on a peg.

"Not much, we lost the girls trail at a brick wall near Queen Street, but we did discover a second pair of footprints beside hers... I'm pretty sure, no, confident that she's travelling with someone... and I think I know who" Tim stretched his arms as he spoke and yawned loudly, John smiled.

"It's him then, interesting choice" he nodded approvingly "Very well then, I will report this to Harriet myself, meanwhile, I have two people with me who can take over for you, you both seem pretty beat up after tailing her for an entire day, go and get some rest" John smiled kindly before hurrying over to one of his machines, he began to press a series of buttons. Tim snorted.

"Who?" he asked, Henry tilted his head slightly, also curious to know the answer.

"Two new boys... I'm sure you recall the burnt pages of the previous lost manga's?" Tim nodded slightly, frowning at the memory.

"Yer, they were really hard to obtain, Harriet was furious that we'd only managed to get incomplete versions... what of them?"

"Well, I brought the new boys from those few burnt pages, quite an achievement if I do say so myself" he smiled and tucked a strand of dark brown hair behind his ear. "Why don't you say hello?" he offered, pulling open the door to his machine. Tim and Henry smiled, nodding with glee.

"Unfortunately, there is no free human skin at present, so they will have to go as is" John frowned.

"I don't think that will be a problem" Tim smiled, walking over to the two boys within the machine. He held out his hand. "Tim J'swath" He greeted them kindly, the closest boy grasped his hand and shook.

"Train Heartnet" he grinned cockily

"Ryou Bakura!" the other boy piped, also shaking his hand.

"IT's good to meet you, Train, Ryou... you'll make the perfect spies for Harriet' plan" Tim laughed manically, John frowned...

**Just a short chapter today, I'm gonn'a watch some anime now to gain inspiration ^^**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_John was having a lot of trouble as of late. It wasn't due to his research, nor was it because of his completely sloppy staff; it wasn't even because of his horrible coffee lady who couldn't even bring him one cup without spilling it on his foot. No, John was having trouble with his mind... it wasn't like it was uncommon for his mind to talk to him, madness is quite common for successful scientists, it was just that he had begun to argue with his mind allot lately. He was having trouble with his morals, one the one hand Harriet had a wonderful plan that could very well save the human race, on the other; it was wrong to use people as test subjects for the required results... normally John wouldn't be having these moral problems, but then, that was before he met Harriet._

_How would John have described Harriet?_

_She was like a bouncy ball made of custard; she bounced in your face before exploding and swallowing you whole... all in all she was a bitch. Living and working with Harriet put a lot of strain on your reasoning and will to live. Imagine one person that you hate the most; now marry that person, stick your tongue in his/her mouth, and lick crème of their stomach... Now you know what it was like around Harriet every single day!_

_So, due to serious mental strain, 6 days of work with no sleep, and putting up with Harriet's idiot henchmen, it was no surprise that John was experiencing self doubt and questioning his reasons for living._

"_Sir, are you ok, you seem lost?" John jumped when a hand was pressed to his shoulder; he looked round into the worried face of one of his assistants._

"_Fine Marian, just doubting myself is all" he smiled. Marian shook her head and patted his shoulder once more before leaving to continue with her work. "Just doubting myself..." he slumped his shoulders as he sighed._

"What do you think it means?" Jack asked, leaning against the cold sewer wall as I shone my torch against the crudely etched markings in front of us. It'd been nearly 3 days since we had opened my Uncles last set of instructions, the sewer line was a never ending tunnel of darkness that threatened to reach out and consume us. I tapped my left foot against the floor irritably, listening to the soft echo that vibrated along the walls.

"I don't know Jack... I don't even recognise the language" I sighed and shoved my hands into my hair, knotting my hair around the torch.

"Let's look at it again, more closely this time" Jack narrowed his eyes slightly and touched the wall in front of us "I feel like I should know what this means..." he whispered almost inaudibly.

'このドアへのキー'

"It's defiantly Japanese" I muttered "uncle tried to teach it to me once... to say I didn't understand it would be an understatement"

Jack gasped suddenly causing me to start. "It's Japanese!" he squeaked

"Yer, so?" I muttered, irritated that I had started.

"So, I can read it" he said like it was the obvious thing in the world, I raised my brow at him.

"Why did you need to know what language it was before you could read it?" he looked at me and closed his eyes for a bit.

"I... don't know" he admitted "I just... do" he shrugged, looking once again to the scrawl on the stone wall. He placed a single finger on the first character and began to recite the whole passage in English.

'このドアへのキー, 人のすすと隠される. 灰は燃えた, 右に漂わせる, 北西に私達の道に印を付けなさい. 私達の精神を燃やし、L川で浸しなさい, この箱で私達は永久に夢を見る.'

"The key to this door, hidden with the soot of men. Their ashes have burned, drifted to the right, mark our passage to North West. Burn our souls and drown them in the L River, in this chest we dream forever..." he sighed and lowered his finger, frowning at the last sentence he had just recited.

"Jack... do... do you know you're a genius" I smiled wistfully, he looked at me.

"... I am?"

I laughed behind my hand and nodded "don't you see, burning ashes would represent the dust that covers the walls, the key must fit a lock that's hidden by those ashes!" I said excitedly, Jack's eyes lit up with realisation.

"as for the rest of it; it's obvious that the path will lead us North-West, but if you look at the 'L River' part, it only makes sense that it's talking about the London river, so we need to go South East instead... that's the trick, and as for the last part... well, actually I don't know what that means, but it will probably make more sense once we get to London" I reasoned, shrugging lightly and moving my hand against the top-right hand corner of the wall, a large wad of dust collapsed to the floor underneath my fingers revealing a tiny key hole, I smiled in victory.

"Excellent" Jack half smiled, he was still staring at the Japanese words... '_Why are they so familiar?'_

"Good, pass me the key and we'll continue" I said quickly, dropping my voice into business mode once again. Jack handed me the small rusty key into my gloved hands, I could feel the cold metal through the thick leather fabric... like ice. I fitted it into the lock and turned it gently, a soft _click_ was heard before the wall moved backwards, throwing a thick layer of dust into our faces. I coughed violently for a moment before grabbing the key from the lock and slipping through the door with Jack in tow, the door ground closed behind us making the walls shudder with the vibrations, through the blackness that stretched out in front of us... I could hear the sound of a child in pain... I froze, my heart beating way too loudly within my chest, the sobs now clearly ringing within my ears...

"Will this really work?" Ryou asked for the 7th time, wincing as Train cocked his gun.

"Yes, now shut up and take it like a man" he snapped, placing the gun against Ryou's arm. Ryou closed his eyes and sucked in a shaky breath, Train closed one eye and squeezed the trigger, the gun let off a loud _bang_, the bullet tearing though the thin flesh of Ryou's upper arm. Ryou squeaked before collapsing in a fit of pain, his arm flew to his new wound and he began to wail pitifully.

"Good, keep wailing and that girl will eventually hear it, if she see's you like that then she'll surly want to help you, and remember... if we do this right, Harriet will send us back home" Train smiled sadly, he didn't like what he was doing one little bit... then again, he didn't really have a choice in the matter, this wasn't his world and it hurt his soul to try and become a part of it. He pitied Ryou greatly, the poor boy knew his pain but he still had the extra part of losing his soul to a spirit... Ryou had it twice as bad and yet he had still volunteered to be the one to get shot... poor kid.

"Jack!" I whispered sharply, indicating for him to follow. I pressed my body tightly against the wall and began to side-step slowly towards the sound of the childish cries.

"It's defiantly a trap" Jack whispered back, following me closely.

I nodded slightly and looked at his face, "I know"...


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The cries were hurting my ears, I inched towards the sound more reluctantly every step Jack slinking along behind me. It felt nice to have someone with me, had I been on my own I think I would have bolted ages ago... strange that that someone happened to be a boy, a member of the very species that I hate! Speaking of hating boys, I could tell by the pitch of the sobs that they came from a guy, a winey one at that... though, given the amount of blood that I could see pooled at me feet I could understand why he was wailing, actually, the smell was making me feel kind of sick. I felt my knees begin to wobble as dizziness took over, I felt Jacks hands slip under my elbow to keep me upright as my head lolled forwards and I threw up violently against the wall, Jack gasped in surprise and struggled to keep me upright as I completely collapsed against his chest. Yes ok, I can't stand the smell of blood! Got a problem with it?

I could barely keep upright as Mikami collapsed against my chest, her heart pounding way too fast for my liking. Checking that the sobbing boy hadn't noticed, I gently began to heave her backwards into a darker part of the tunnel, I laid her against the cold stone wall and made sure she was comfortable, she was struggling to stay conscious... I had to get rid of that blood.

_Well, that was unplanned for... I had never imagined that the girl would faint at the sight of blood; if that was all it took, maybe I shouldn't have shot Ryou... great, better not tell him that. However, now that she's down there's only the other guy to worry about, he seems to be more cautious then she was and he's making sure to keep to the shadows, I'm having trouble seeing him and I'm right above his head! Nows my chance though, he's concentrating on the girl and Ryou... I can jump him now and take him out, or use my gun, but I'd like to avoid wasting my bullets if I can help it. _

_I'm a well trained assassin, one of the Kronos numbers... 13, Black cat. The name isn't just for show, I know what I'm doing all the time anywhere and in any situation, here is no exception. Here we go, wait until he's directly beneath me and... Now!_

I was still weary of the sobbing guy further down the tunnel, but cleaning up the blood had to be my priority if I was to get Mikami back on her feet. I had just stepped towards the first small stream of blood when a tiny speck of ceiling dust fell onto my shoulder, I pretended not to notice and switched all my senses towards the ceiling... just as I thought, there was a tiny scraping sound above me, like boots against stone, I knew he was there.

I knew he was going to jump me so I thought I'd make it easier for him, positioning myself so I was in the best possible position for the guy, I listened for the sounds of his boots leaving the stone. As I had anticipated, his feet let the rock almost as soon as I'd got into position, this guy wasn't an amateur... but then, he still wouldn't get the best of me! I spun quickly, launching my left leg high into the air so it connected with his jaw in a sickening _crack_. He was launched into the wall opposite the one Mikami was against where he lay dazed for a short time before gathering his senses, he shook his head and stood up, squinting his eyes so he could see me better... I instantly noticed something wrong with him, he had an outline, like someone had taken a thick black marker and drawn in the air around his whole body. That, and his eyes, they weren't normal... they weren't human!

He stood up and tilted his head, giving me a well controlled smile to hide his anger.

"Good kick" he spat, "I'll have to watch you from now on"

I didn't reply to his words, instead I launched myself forwards and slammed my shoulder into his torso, flinging him into the wall once more, he cried out sharply before lifting up both feet and kicking me in the chin, using his hands to stay above the floor. I stepped back quickly, holding my injured jaw with my left hand, it was sticky and warm, I could smell the iron as the red liquid dripped between my fingers.

"Good kick" I repeated his earlier sentence, "I'll have to return the favour" I spat, ducking low and lashing out my right leg, it connected with his ankle causing him to fall forwards towards me where I punched him in the nose with my free hand. He swore as he fell backwards and I used this opportunity to pin him down, pushing my knees into his stomach and placing my left arm hard against his throat, I used my other arm to pin his hands above his head. He struggled uselessly against me for a few moments before finally admitting defeat, he settled for glaring at me from the floor, I nearly laughed.

"So, now your gonn'a tell me who you are" I grinned wickedly, pushing my arm further against his throat, he gagged. "Now!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"_So, now your gonn'a tell me who you are" I grinned wickedly, pushing my arm further against his throat, he gagged. "Now!"_

"Well?" I demanded, the boy looked at me, I could tell that he was still in his teens... 16, 17 maybe, he was so young for someone with that type of stealth skill.

"...gasp... Train... gasp... Heartnet... Train Heartnet!" he gasped, pitifully struggling against my grip.

"What do you want with me and Mimi, who sent you?" I snapped, reliving my grip on his throat a bit so he could breathe. He gave me daggers before swallowing huge gulps of air; he closed his eyes for a bit before he gave me my answer...

"You and that girl-" I pushed down on his throat, cutting off his voice and air supply, his eyes grew wide and he struggled against me arm.

"Mikami, NOT girl... Mikami" I repeated slowly, easing my arm from his throat again.

"Got it, got it! Mikami, got it!" he said quickly, breathing far too quickly and trying to centre himself.

"Continue" I ordered

"You and... Mikami, were to be caught and/or disposed off, we were sent by a woman named Harriet... she said she'd send us home if we did it or kill us if we failed!" he explained, eyes wide and frightened, I almost believed that he was honestly frightened of me... until I was hit in the back of the head by something large and rather heavy...

"Ryou!" I smiled brightly as Jack's unconscious body slumped on top of mine; I pushed him off with ease and took the large and now rather wet stone from Ryou's hands. "Thanks, I owe you one"

"Forget about it!" he snapped, very un-Ryou like, I frowned.

"You're not... you're the other one right, the other soul?" he gave me a cruel glare that confirmed my suspicions instantly. This wasn't the kind boy whom I had shot just a few moments ago, this was his alter ego, kind of like a bad spirit that took possession over his body via a ring Ryou wore around his neck.

"Of course I'm not Ryou, you honestly think that coward would hit someone over the head with a brick? He wouldn't even hurt a worm!" he laughed darkly, "Now, we still have to deal with the other one..."

My eyes suddenly went wide, I lifted a hand to point behind him... but it was too late.

"You mean me?" she whispered, snaking an arm around Ryou's neck and cutting off his airways, she locked her gaze with mine as she choked him, a silent challenge '_just try moving!'_

"You hurt my Jack" I whispered in the boys ear, every one of my words dripped with poison as I tightened my grip, he didn't make any movement's except for the widening of his eyes. I gazed seriously at the other boy who was in front of the unconscious Jack, daring him to move... he didn't, we stood like that for a while, staring each other down... until I looked a bit closer, and gasped.

"Train Heartnet!" I yelled suddenly, my arm flying from the first boys neck to point at Train. My eyes widened with excitement as I all but nearly killed him with my hug, his face began to turn blue as I squeezed him relentlessly, a truly embarrassing fan-girl moment... until my brain have me a good kick and I came to my senses, I jumped back quickly and tried to centre myself. "Wait... what?" I shook my head at my previous actions and tried to remember what I was supposed to be doing, I was suddenly reminded as the other boy grabbed both of my wrists and pinned them behind my back, forcing me to my knees.

"Forget about me?" he smirked. I turned my head to look at his face... and my heart skipped a beat. Fictional characters, both of them were fictional characters. Ryou Bakura and Train Heartnet. Hear. In front of my eyes... I could have died and gone to heaven.

Yes, I hate boys... but fictional boys are another story altogether! There amazing, wonderfully smart and beautiful and kind... well, these two weren't kind but you get what I mean. I began to hyperventilate.

"Are... are you ok?" Train asked me suddenly, my face had turned bright pink.

"Sorry for over reacting... with the hug" I mumbled pathetically, I heard Ryou laugh; his whole body shook with the vibrations.

"This one's funny" he smirked, "Let's keep her, screw Harriet" he laughed again, louder this time.

I growled "Harriet? She sent you... that bitch!"

Train and Ryou looked at me for a bit before Train finally sighed with defeat. "She is a bitch... but she's the bitch that knows how to send us home"

I didn't know what to say to that... lucky for me that this was when Jack decided to come to his senses, he jumped up quickly and grabbed Train by his shirt, forcing him to his knees so he was eye line with me.

"Crap!" he swore as Jack got his arm around his throat once again, I used this opportunity to kick backwards, knocking Ryou off his feet and onto the floor.

"Oof!" he wheezed as the breath was forced out of him, I pounced onto his torso and pinned his arms above his head, trying to ignore the extremely awful bullet hole in his left arm... and failing.

"Damn it!" Ryou sighed, closing his eyes tightly with anger.

"So... what now?" Train asked from the floor, "What will you do with us?" he asked, his face not portraying any emotion whatsoever.

"What will we do..." I repeated to myself, then again to Jack "What... will we do with them?" I asked him. He looked at me for a moment and then shrugged; Train moaned and dropped his head forwards.

"Were a couple of spies/ assassins sent by your enemy... and you're wondering what to do with us?" Ryou asked in disbelief before bursting out laughing.

"This is getting us nowhere" he chuckled "Just kill us and get it over with!"

"... Kill you?" I repeated, shocked at the very suggestion, "I'm not going to kill you"

Train and Ryou's heads both snapped up at the same time.

"...What?" Train finally asked

"Were not gonn'a kill you" Jack repeated, "Were gonn'a help you" he smiled softly, releasing his grip around Train when I released mine from Ryou, they both stayed on the floor for a few moments in disbelief.

"How... how will you help us?" Ryou asked, narrowing his eyes. I laughed.

"First, I'm gonn'a clean up your wound, stupid boy.... then, I'm gonn'a find a way to get you back home... wherever that is..." I smiled and held my hand out to Jack for the pack, he smiled and retrieved it from a spot by the wall, I rummaged around in it for a few moments before pulling out a large roll of bandages. I put down the pack and leaned over Ryou; I ripped off his sleeve quickly and examined the wound. Ryou didn't move or say a word as I worked the bandage around his weak arm though I saw him wince once or twice. I patted his shoulder to let him know when I was done and helped him to his feet, Train also pulled himself up and walked over to us with Jack in tow.

"By the way... where is home?" I asked Train. He frowned and bowed his head.

"In Harriet's mansion..." he mumbled "In her Damn lab!"


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm having streams of ideas after watching some awesome shounan-ai/Yaoi animes, (obviously not the 'Full' stuff, just some cutie stuff ^^) I recommend Gravitation and Papa to kiss in the dark, there gorgeous animes ^^ Junjo Romantica is a bit... older, but makes you wanna hug the screen XD**

**Chapter 11**

I didn't trust them... I couldn't. Not after that, those two words had sent more shivers down my spine than anything else they'd told us, what made it worse was that I didn't even know why. Two words... Harriet's lab.

I wasn't particularly surprised that Harriet had a lab, I'd never met the woman personally, but when Mimi told me about her, she defiantly sounded like the type. It was just an immediate reaction my body had, like I was programmed to hate those words... like I'd been to this lab before... I was terrified, I didn't even know why... but I was, absolutely terrified.

It was hard, hard not to look at them, hard to believe that they were actually there. Here. In front of me. It was like I was in one of my dream worlds, especially as my dreams quite often involved manga and anime characters... and me doing 'things' to them.... WITH them, I meant with...

I was about to drift into one of my fan girl moments when I noticed the pale look spreading across Jacks face, he was breathing rather quickly and I could see that he was trembling. I stopped walking and motioned for Train and Ryou to stop as well, moving over to Jack who was now leaning against the wall of the tunnel that was just under the edge of London, I placed my hand over his forehead and looked into his eyes.

"Jack... how long have you been like this?" I whispered, gently pushing back his hair from in front of his eyes. "You're really sick Jack, why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well?" I asked, holding his cheek as his eyes drooped slightly. He stood up slowly and pushed my hand away.

"It's nothing, I get like this sometimes, I'll be fine in a minute" he whispered, leaning against the wall again as his legs gave, I caught his arms and helped him to the floor. I made sure he was comfortable before telling the others that we were taking a break, Ryou yawned in approval and dropped down to the floor to sleep, Train looked at me and Jack with a worried look on his face, he motioned for me to go and talk with him, I nodded and ruffled Jack's hair before I went over.

"What is it?" I whispered, not wanting to disturb Jack or Ryou.

"It's about... Jack" he said, a sad look washed over is features. "Does he... get like that often... high temperatures, being unable to stand, dizziness and sometimes coughing up blood?" he asked quietly, I looked at him for a moment as I thought about the question.

"How often is 'Often'"? I asked wearily

"Once a month maybe, or when he's stressed or upset?" Train elaborated, I nodded slowly, recalling all the times Jack had become sick... it was quite often actually, once a month... or two months.

"Yer, that's sort of how I met him..." I frowned at the memory and trailed off; Train motioned for me to continue. " I was about 7 when I first met Jack, my mom has just recently passed away so I was reluctant to return home... I remember, the park... it was just a small thing, a tiny pond with a few fish and a little track that ran around it into the woods... it was raining, just lightly, I was passing the time by naming the fish I could see... I can still remember that day so clearly...

'"_Nettles... Yang... Yin... Peach... Pancake... Chips... Rhubarb... Custard..." I sighed, staring at the tiny ripples the rain caused in the water, the fish swimming away as each drop hit the surface... I stared at the last fish, raking my brain slowly for another name. In reality, I didn't really care what I called it, I was simply using this as an excuse to waste time... anything to keep me away from that house._

"_Sunny?" a small voice beside me made me start, my head swung round towards the sound and I was greeted by the beaming face of a brown haired boy. He was quite short, wearing loose jeans and a pirate top which was covered by a black rain jacket which he had left open, hi's feet were caked in mud from the base of his trainers to his ankles, I raised a brow questioningly. He looked to his feet and grinned madly._

"_Mud puddle" he beamed, I nodded and rolled my eyes. "Sunny" he said again, pointing to my unnamed fish, it darted away from his finger and under one of the wilting lily pads. I frowned as it disappeared, it was reminding me of my mother._

"_No" I said sadly, the boy tilted his head. "The name is too bright, for a day filled with nothing but darkness" I muttered, pushing myself to my feet and grabbing my now soaking bag from the bank, the boy frowned at my before reaching up to pat me on the head. I jumped back, startled by the sudden contact._

"_Silly girl, today is bright... we live today, our lives make the day bright" he grinned again, I took a step closed and bared my teeth._

"_Today is over, it rains, people die every day, no day will ever be bright for me" I hissed, the boy blinked at me and tilted his head._

"_Who died... was it her?" he asked, lifting his finger to point behind me. I followed his finger and gazed over my shoulder... just in time to see a woman holding a green umbrella, she was sobbing and held her head in her hands, body shaking with her tears. My eyes grew wide as the boy continued to speak._

"_She's lost her heart, a man took it away, took it to a dark place... now she will die" he grinned wildly. I stared in horror as the woman ran to the edge of the lake, I didn't even have a chance to shout out before she had jumped into the centre, vanishing in a series of ripples... she didn't resurface again, I could only see her umbrella as it floated across the surface like a lily... I gasped in fear, my hand coming to muffle my cries; I gazed at the boy behind me, his face was solemn, uncaring, his finger was still pointing to the umbrella, he was still grinning._

"_Told you, she died... but we live, so the day is bright" he repeated as I fell to my knees, my whole body shivering. The boy walked closer to me and bent so he could see my face. "Does that make you sad?" he asked "Does that make you... sad?"_

_I looked at his face then, eyes wide with the shock of what I had seen. I wanted to answer his question, but I couldn't think of what to say... finally, I removed my hand from my mouth._

"_No..." I whispered "it does not... make me sad"_

_The boy grinned and held out his hand "Good... my name is Jack" he piped cheerfully. I took his hand and allowed myself to be pulled to my feet._

"_Why... why don't I feel sad?" I asked lamely. I was truly shocked with myself, I had felt nothing for that woman, nothing at all... even as she drowned, and I felt... nothing._

"_What's your name?" he asked, ignoring my question._

"_Mikami" I whispered_

"_Hmm, that's a long name" he pouted, still holding onto my hand. "I know, I'll call you Mimi instead, Kay?" he grinned again, flashing his perfectly white teeth. I stared dumbly at him as he nodded._

"_Yes, Mimi is a good name" he frowned, suddenly lifting his head to look at me. "Will you remember me, if I die?" he asked casually, I gasped and griped his hand tightly in response, my brain just couldn't keep up with this kid so my body was acting by itself. "Good" he said, his eyes growing wide as he bent over and began to cough violently, blood splattered out between his teeth and his hand grew cold within mine with each cough. I could only stare in horror as he slowly began to collapse, I finally moved when his legs gave out all together, my brain finally catching up to my actions, I caught the boy between my arms and swung him onto my back, making sure I had a good grip I began to run with the now unconscious boy, leaving my bag and his behind, running passed the green umbrella, past the creaking trees, slipping once every so often on the wet mud beneath my trainers. I ran straight home, flung open the door and ran to my uncle who was waiting for me in the living room, flinging Jack onto the couch and trailing mud all over the floors, I ran into my Uncle's arms and cried...'_

"Jack went home after a few hours rest, I didn't see him again until I was in secondary school, he was a late transfer into my class... of course, I didn't recognise him at first... but his voice, it's never changed, always that same creepy annoying tone, always spouting out nonsense... we were friends ever since... I know a normal person would have stayed away from someone who had done that to me, he showed me death, but I forgave him... I don't know why, I just did... but every once in a while, at school and when he was out with me... he would collapse, he never spit blood again though, and im glad for that... but he's always been sick, even the Dr my uncle hired for him couldn't figure out what was wrong with him... and then my uncle went missing..." I hadn't realised I'd started crying until Train had wiped the tears away with his thumb, he smiled softly and leaned away from me.

"I'm going... to tell you why" he said softly "Why Jack gets sick like he does, I'm going to tell you everything"

I opened my eyes slowly, lifting my hand to my mouth in search of any blood, my fingers came away clean and I sighed with relief. I looked up next into the eyes of Mimi, she was leaning rather close to me, her nose inches from mine, my heart skipped a beat. As if sensing what she was doing to me, Mimi leaned back and gave me some room.

"How are you?" she asked softly, eyes never leaving mine. I sighed and blinked slowly to break her stare.

"I'm fine" I lied, pushing myself to my feet. Mimi nodded and turned away, beginning to walk down the tunnel once again. I followed slowly, a sickening feeling in my stomach, after my last 'episode' I had been haunted by yet another dream, a collection of memories from my childhood. The dark curtain that had hung over my memories since I was 7 had finally been completely pulled open, and I felt sick with what I had remembered... with what I would have to do...

**Oooh, I leave you with yet another cliff-hanger :D I'm evil like that. There's more to Jack then you think, and there's more to Mimi as well. Train and Ryou are just open books though, you'd all kill me if I changed their personalities XD next chapter is the beginning of the end ^^**


	12. Chapter 12: London Bridge

**Here we go, the beginning of the end. Is Harriet in this chapter? I dunno, I haven't wrote it yet XD**

**Chapter 12: London Bridge**

"Ok!" I held up my hand to stop everyone from walking any further. "Were hear" I smiled and stared up to the ceiling of the sewer pipe, we were back in the thick plastic and rounded stone walls of a normal sewer pipe. I pointed eagerly to a manhole cover to our right; a small well used ladder was tightly bolted to the walls.

"EEEEK!" Ryou squeaked suddenly as a rat ran over his trainer, he ran at full speed to the ladder and jumped up to the middle rung where he began to shudder. I clamped my hand over my mouth to stop my laughter from echoing down the sewer and alerting anyone to our presence. Train rolled his eyes and prised Ryou from the ladder, he began to climb up and tested the manhole cover, lifting it up a few centimetres and checking the area. He climbed back down and smiled.

"It's some sort of back alley, but I can defiantly see the London bridge... you did it Mikami, were exactly where you said we'd end up" Train patted me on the back and climbed back up the ladder, completely removing the cover and pulling himself into the fresh air (As fresh as it can get in London XD). I smiled despite of myself and climbed up after him, Jack and Ryou in tow. Just as Train said, we were in some sort of back alley, the air was stale with the scents of garbage and whatever else was in the alley, I wasted no time in running to the main street and towards the bridge.

It was about one in the morning if my watch was correct, only a few cars were driving on the eerily quiet roads of London, on the horizon I could just see the edge of the earth and the beautiful stretch of stars that laid beyond it. We reached the bridge in record time, sneaking past the night guards of the bridge who had fallen asleep ages ago, we walked to the centre of the bridge and peered over the edge to the river, I sighed happily and sank to the floor.

"We did it, were in London" I grinned; the boys dropped to the floor beside me and smiled with success. I closed my eyes happily for a few moments before I was suddenly lifted out of my happy stupor by a passing thought.

"Ummm guys... what now?" I asked

"You're asking us?" Ryou asked, giving me a weird look. I glared at him until Jack interrupted my session.

"We still need to figure out what the last part of that writing meant" He pointed out, closing his eyes in concentration. I looked at him for a moment as I nodded in agreement, I'd never noticed before now; how fine his features were, how childish he looked when he concentrated, his long hair blending beautifully into his pale skin. He opened his eyes and I stared almost lustfully into the dark orbs, he stared back, I couldn't even blink, it felt as if I was being lifted into a wonderful light, leaving all of these worries and duties behind me... floating, with Jack... he turned his head away and I was released, I bowed my head to hide my blush, what the heck was wrong with me? I hate boys... don't I...? Don't I?

"I've got it" Jack exclaimed suddenly, it was talking about a chest... like a treasure chest, what if there is a treasure chest hidden UNDER this bridge!" he grinned at his genius.

"Your right" I smiled, "So let's go get it" I held my hand out to Jack, he took off his pack and gave me the rope, I handed one end to Train who began to hurriedly tie it to the side of the bridge, the other end I gave to Ryou who tied it around my waist. When they were done, I smiled uneasily at the boys before walking to the edge of the bridge.

"Your gonn'a let me down nice and slowly ok?" I half threatened them; they nodded and gave me encouraging smiles. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply, lowering myself to the floor, I dangled my legs over the side of the bridge, inching forwards slowly, bit by bit, until finally, I fell over the side.

The rope jerked harshly as Mimi fell from the edge of the bridge, I almost lost my grip as I was slammed into Train and Jack, I was praying that Mimi was ok...

_Stop worrying about her you stupid mortal!_ Bakura laughing inside my head did little to help my concentration; my hands were now burning as the rope slid between my fingers.

"Gently now" Train said, glancing at me worryingly. Whether he was worried about me, or about Bakura taking over was beyond me, but it helped greatly until... Jack slipped, bending over as he began to cough up blood, my eyes grew wide as my feet were yanked out from under me, Train yelped as his body was slammed against the wire of the bridge. It was all I could do to hold onto the rope, I could hear Mimi calling for us to stop messing around; I couldn't find the energy to smile.

_You weak, pathetic mortal _Bakura chuckled _allow me._

"NO!" I shrieked. Train opened his eyes at my voice and yelled at me as I felt myself being taken over by Bakura.

It had all gone wrong, we could never have imagined that Jack would start coughing up blood when he'd been stable just a few moments ago, and now that Ryou was being taken over it was impossible to tell which way this would go. If Bakura wanted to kill Mimi, he would do it now, and with the rope in my hands it would be impossible for me to stop him. Mimi wasn't even halfway down the bridge yet, if I dropped her now there was a chance she wouldn't survive... what should I do?

I settled for tightening my grip on the rope, still allowing inches to slip past my fingers to lower Mimi down, I could tell that Bakura was in total control now... he was grinning at me, all I could do was to glare back, and then gasp in surprise as he held tighter onto the rope, allowing me to prise my back away from the wire. For a spirit trapped in a ring, Bakura was insanely strong!

"Let me do it, you deal with him!" Bakura yelled at me, tilting his head towards Jack. I hesitated at first, but finally removed my hands from the rope, Bakura didn't even wince as he slowly lowered Mimi down further. I smiled in thanks and ran over to Jack, he was lying in a pool of his own blood, I checked his pulse and ran a hand over his forehead... I knew he didn't have long left to live...

"Train..." he gasped, spitting out another mouthful of blood "Don't... don't tell Mimi... I know... you know..." he sighed, closing his eyes in unconsciousness.

"Too late for that" I sighed to myself, glancing at Bakura. He had successfully lowered Mimi down under the bridge and was leaning over the side to wait for Mimi's signal.

I sighed in relief as my feet found the stone slab beneath the middle pillar of the bridge, looking back up into Ryou's face I smiled and gave him a thumbs up, he grimaced in reply but gave m a quick nod.

I tried to figure out the meaning behind that grimace as I attached the bottom of the rope to a piece of metal that was sticking up dangerously from the stone slab. Dismissing it as a misunderstanding, I turned my attention to the pillar in front of me.

"The writing talked about drowning" I mumbled to myself, fishing the small rusty key from my pocket as I thought. "So that would indicate that... the chest would be under the river?" I knelt down and dangled my head over the side of the stone slab, I couldn't see anything for a while except for the murky water... that was when Ryou shone Jacks torch down onto my face, lighting up the murky water if for only a second, but it was long enough for me to notice the tiny key hole embedded in the side of the stone slab.

"Ryou, shine that down here!" I yelled. He nodded and shone the light to where I was pointing; I nodded my thanks and quickly inserted the key into the hole, holding my breath and turning it slowly...

I smiled as I heard the familiar soft _click _as the door opened; I used my fingers to open the door against the direction of the moving water and grabbed the small chest I saw inside, retracting my hand quickly as it slammed shut missing my fingers by mere inches.

"I got it!" I shouted, waving at Ryou madly, he shook his head and gave me a really creepy smile before answering.

"Get the hell up here then!" he yelled, swinging the rope a bit before disappearing from sight.

"Boys!" I muttered angrily, tucking the small comic sized chest into the front of my top, I began to shimmy up the rope. "Geez, thank god for those gymnastic lessons" I panted, grinning to myself.

I reached the top in to time at all... to find Ryou, Train and Jack all on the floor, their clothes slit and skin bleeding, Jack was in a pool of his and Train's blood. I gazed horrified into the face's of the black eyed man from my uncle's house and a huge brutish guy I'd never seen before.

"Well, well, look who decided to show up" The black eyed man hissed, wiping a very bloody knife along his tongue, "I'm so glad I could meet you again"


	13. Chapter 13: murder is sweet

**The grand ending! :O I actually finished a story! :D**

**Chapter 13: Murder is sweet**

My feet ached from being dragged along the floor; I could hear Ryou and Train struggling behind me and a faint wining that I identified as Jack. It had been hours since we had been attacked on the bridge, we were badly cut up and bruised all over. I had taken the pack from Jack when we had been forced into the black eyed man's car (whom we now know is called Tim), I was now desperately holding onto both the Manga's, both of them were mine! It took all I had to keep my grip on both of them, I was trying so hard not to damage them and my arms were beginning to cramp. Suddenly, Tim jerked to a halt, he stood up straight and gazed straight ahead, unblinking. I could hear the soft click from heels on the tiled floor, someone was coming...

"That's enough Tim" Harriet smiled almost kindly, I was roughly thrown to the floor and winced at the sudden pain, Tim grinned and untied the gags he had earlier placed in our mouths.

Now that Tim had let go of my hair, I allowed myself to look around. What I saw made me gasp; we were in the middle of a lab, quite an expensive looking one at that, there was a large assortment of weird machines and surgical equipment, there was a large stack of notes and what I assumed to be research books to my left. Scanning across the whole room I saw at least 10 people; Harriet, standing the closest to Ryou, Tim, who looked like he was itching to grab my hair again, the big guy who attacked us on the bridge who was sitting on the windowsill next to the books, a scientist Harriet had introduced as John whom I vaguely recognised from one of my uncles newspapers, and a few other scientists who were busily exchanging notes and fiddling with the machines.

I looked back to Harriet, she was in the middle of a speech that I hadn't bothered to listen to, I quickly switched my attention to Jack... and hung my head in sadness, he wasn't tied up. I had always known that Harriet had somehow been getting information on our location; she had someone on the inside, I had automatically assumed the attack on the bridge was because of either Ryou or Train, I was wrong. I had known I was wrong, ever since Train told me about it... the disease. I had known since then, but I'd denied it, just like a stupid child, I'd ignored reason and logic and chosen to believe in Jack... and why? Because I was... I was... in lo-...

They had beaten me, I realised suddenly. I hadn't been smart enough, not enough to beat Jack... I thought... I'd thought... Jack.

"Why?" I whispered to myself, Ryou and Train spared me a pained glance. "Why Jack?" my voice was shaking, "Why did it have to be Jack" I felt the warm salty tears drip from my eyes, making small tracks down my face. "Why him, why not one of you two, why the one I chose to believe in, why... WHY?" I cried out, Jack flinched slightly and slowly turned to Harriet.

"You'll send me back now, right?" he whispered, my eyes snapped over to Harriet. _Send him back? How?_

"Yes, I will, you won't have to suffer anymore" she nodded; there was a hint of humour in her eyes that made me want to gouge them out with my nails. "John, if you will" she motioned at Jack and then to a large machine, it reminded me of one of those pods from the film 'Alien'.

"What's that machine do?" I demanded, switching my gaze to John, he sighed his eyes betraying hints of age and insanity.

"Simple my child, Jack is not from this world, much like your friends there... but he is a glitched copy of his original self placed into a human shell, he was originally to be used as a test subject, he had to blend in with humans and live as a spy... but something went wrong with his transfer from 'that' world to 'this' world, which is why he often experiences high fever, blood loss, coughing fits etc... Your friends are the same, slightly glitched and yet to be placed in human skin" he explained, his face remained sad, sympathetic almost. "Unfortunately, I cannot get rid of the glitches yet, I simply don't have the time nor the resources to do so, however, the glitches are completely one sided... when the subject is... 'Copied', they lose most of whatever power or ability they had in their original world, this is because my machines are based on _our_ human anatomy, so it can't handle the sometimes drastic changes these fictional characters have to undertake in order to get here... for Jack's case, he simply wishes to return home and regain what he has lost in this world... so, this machine of mine will send him home, reverting him back to his original state, but... he will always remember his time here, I cannot erase his memories of the pain he has gone through, I apologise for that" John bowed his head as Harriet rolled her eyes, he honestly looked sorry. I hadn't realised I'd stopped crying.

"It's ok... Jack" I smiled sadly, he nodded and bowed his head.

"I just want to go home... to stop this pain..." he whispered.

"I get it" I smiled, sweetly this time "I'd do anything to get back too if I was in your position, especially right now... so, I get it..." I forced the smile to stay on my face as I continued, "go home Jack, I won't hate you for what you've done... cause you've done a lot more good for me than bad, and I... I..." I sighed, tears rolling down my cheeks, "I... I lo... I'll miss you... Jack" I said, smiling as I wiped my tears away with my arm.

"I..." Jack stuttered, unsure about what to say, eventually he just hung his head and walked over to the machine. John opened the door to the pod and sighed sadly as Jack got inside. I waved at him from the floor, the rounded glass of the pod twisting his features slightly as he waved back.

"All right then..." John smiled, "Here we go!" he pushed down hard on a blue lever; there was a loud shuddering as the machine lit up with a dim yellow light. I felt sick as I watched his human skin dissolve into dust; Jack stretched his arms slightly as his nails became more pointed and sharp, his hair band had disappeared and his hair had turned a dark black colour, now only reaching the base of his neck. His eyes switched from the liquid blue to a dark green and his pupils became more silted, his human ears has vanished to be replaced by black cat ones and he now had a longish tail that just reached his shoulders, he opened his mouth to shout something to me and I could see his canines sharpen.

"What?" I yelled back

Jack fiddled with his sleeve and smiled at me from the pod, the yellow light increased and I saw Jack slowly begin to disappear.

"I'll miss you!" he called again, I smiled and waved again. My heart was pounding at the sight of his disappearing body, it was now or never... I had to say it, now!

"Jack!" I yelled, he looked at me. "Jack, I... I love you!" I yelled, he pressed his ear to the glass indicating that he didn't hear me. "I LOVE YOU!" I yelled again, as loud as my voice would allow. Jack's smile dropped from his face in surprise, he began to pound on the glass, trying to get out, but there was only a thin outline left of him now. I held out my hand to him as if I could bring him back with it, stretching my fingers at the pod which now only showed the pained expression off his face. My last view of Jack, were the tears that had run down his face...

My hand dropped to the floor with a dull thud, I gazed at it dully, my mind had begun to fall apart.

"Now, now Mimi" Harriet's voice snapped me out of my grief in an instant, I couldn't break down yet, I had people to protect, items to protect. "We can't have you spacing out on us" she continued, finally stepping away from Ryou after slapping him sharply across his cheek, leaving three bloody lines. She stopped in front of me, bending down and holding out her hand with the bloody nails, I flinched away from it. "Oh right, you hate the sight of blood don't you? Well, why not be a good girl now and give me those Manga's, then you won't have to see any more bloodshed?" she soothed, prying the manga's from my weak grip, I didn't move to stop her, the scent of Ryou's blood on her nails strong in the air around me, making me sick.

"Why?" I asked her, "Why did you do all this?"

Harriet laughed, a high pitched giggle that hurt my ears, she straightened up and handed the manga's to John. "Why, you ask?" she grinned "To live of course!" she threw her eyes wide as she spoke.

"What?" I asked, surprised by her answer.

"Think about it!" she continued, "this world is in total chaos, we are doomed to die if we stay on this world; poverty, food and water shortage, the collapse of the sun's heat, we will die because of these things, doomed for extinction one way or the other..." she explained

I sighed, "But what has that got to do with... oh" I exclaimed, suddenly grasping what she was saying.

"Yes" she nodded, "what if there was a way to survive, a way to carry on, what if we could live through manga?" she finished, I nodded with understanding.

"So, the machine, it wasn't really built to bring characters into this world... it was to take us to their world! But..."

"But?" Harriet asked

"Why those two manga's?" I asked, Harriet shrugged.

"They are rare for a reason other than the obvious, the publishers used especially strong ink to print those pages, John's machine needs the strong ink so that nothing goes wrong when copying people inside the manga's" she explained.

"I get it... we can live, through the manga" I smiled, Harriet snorted.

"You got one little detail wrong my dear, only_ I_ will be living through the manga's, not _you_!" she finished, clapping her hands together and laughing like a maniac.

"But why!" I cried, "Why just you? Your machine could save our entire species. NOT. JUST. YOU!" I yelled, lurching forwards too fast for Tim to grab me, I ploughed into Harriet and clawed at her face, she shrieked as one of my nails slashed her cheek. Her bodyguard, Henry, sprung into action and wrenched me away from her; he flung me across the room and into the far wall opposite from Train and Ryou. Pain shot through my body and I collapsed into a heap, Train tried to get to his feet but Tim pushed him down, the gag preventing Train from shouting out but the rage in his eyes was clear. Ryou just stared at Henry, tears rolling down his cheeks; he stared at the golden ring that hung around the bodyguard's neck, stared at it so hard...

"That's enough!" John yelled, all eyes fell onto him. "The machine will only allow one trip, ONE. It doesn't have the capacity for anyone else, when Harriet leaves this world, the machine will automatically explode, taking the lab with it... the resulting explosion will set off the mines placed all over the world by Harriet's men, this planet will be lost... forever..." he looked at me as he spoke every word, eyes haunted with insanity.

"No, NO!" I yelled

"Henry, kill them, KILL THEM ALL!" Harriet shrieked, pointing at the boys with one hand and at me with the other. "John, activate the final machine!" she commanded. He nodded and led Harriet into another room, he came back shortly after and wandered over to the controls. From the corner of my eye I saw Henry advancing towards the boys, Train caught my eye with a wink, he had a plan... I nodded with understanding and began to crawl towards the other room after Harriet; John glanced at me and smiled sadly, allowing me to pass him. I glanced back just in time to see Train lash out at Henry with his foot, tripping the bodyguard to fall on Tim, Ryou grabbed his ring as the bodyguard fell and Bakura quickly took over Ryou's body, grinning with bloodlust. I smiled at their courage and dragged myself into the other room, wincing as I pulled myself to my feet.

Harriet was there, walking quickly across a bridge towards a larger version of the other machine. The two manga's had been placed inside a dome next to the bridge and were glowing with a pale white light. Harriet heard my advance and turned to face me, murder was printed in large letters across her face. I locked our stares and we mirrored grins.

"You're so persistent, aren't you?" she said, slowly backing across the bridge. She reached into her jacket and pulled out a small pistol, I froze. "But I'm going to live, see... and you, you're going to die" she tilted her head back to laugh and stopped moving, the gun was aimed directly at my head. "Come on Mimi, try to stop me" she cooed, still laughing and her eyes automatically closing. I ran at her in a split second, ramming my shoulders into her ribs. She gasped as the air was forced from her lungs and the gun slipped from her fingers, dropping from the bridge and onto the floor far below us. Harriet shrieked and grabbed my wrists, swinging me round and tossing me to the edge of the bridge; my feet swung wildly as I grabbed the edge and held on for my life. Harriet chuckled manically.

"You lose" she snarled, lifting her foot and angling it above my straining hand. "Good bye" she sang, bringing down her foot, I closed my eyes and waited for the end. All I heard was Harriet's screams as she was pushed off the bridge and into the pit below me, landing with a sickening _splat._ I was breathing very hard and fast as I stared disbelievingly at her corpse, my fingers were turning white from the strain of holding on, just as they began to slip, a strong familiar hand gripped my wrist.

"Hold on!" he grunted, pulling back as hard as he could, I was lifted over the edge and back onto the bridge, I sighed in relief and flexed my aching fingers.

"You came back" I said, trying to hide the fact that I was over the moon right now.

"Yes, I did" Jack grinned at me, he looked so cute with those ears, I resisted the urge to pull on them.

"How?" I asked, gasping as he slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me into a warm embrace.

"John, he brought me back" he smiled into my hair. "And besides, I couldn't just leave you; I also had something to say... I... I love you, so much Mimi... I love you" he whispered into my ear, I shivered with happiness.

"Well, this is touching" I glanced up to see Train and Ryou smirking like idiots, they were coated in blood, I tried not to breath much.

"Yer, don't get used to it" I smiled, shoving Jack off me so I could stand up. I stretched a bit before glancing at the machine; I walked up to it and opened the door, curiosity taking hold of me.

"Get in, all of you" John's voice made me start, I growled in embarrassment.

"No, we won't destroy this world" Jack said confidently, gripping my hand within his.

"Too late" John smiled sadly "Harriet pushed the self detonate button in her Jacket before she died, we have minuets before this whole world goes up in smoke" he said matter-of-factly, taking a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it, he smiled at our shocked faces. "Besides, you have an uncle to find" he said to me.

My eyes went wide "what?" I whispered, he pointed to the machine.

"In, and I'll tell you, quickly now!" he clapped his hands twice before pushing us roughly into the machine, closing and locking the door. "Your uncle was caught by Harriet to be a test subject in the beginning, it was a great success and your uncle was transferred to a world in one of the manga's, unfortunately I don't remember which one it was, but you can find a way to jump from one manga to another from the world I'm going to send you to... I'm sorry, for everything" he said quickly, pressing a few buttons on the pod as he spoke. When he was done, he leaned against the pod and took a deep drag of his cigarette. I stared at him in disbelief.

"My... uncle, he's alive" I whispered, the machine humming to life around me.

"Hold on to Jack Mimi, wouldn't want you two to be separated now would we..." John sighed "and... good bye" he said, his voice shaking.

"Wait, come with us!" Jack yelled.

John shook his head sadly "Best I end it hear... I'll see you in the afterlife" he said, his voice barely audible over the hum of the machine, I was clinging to Jack as tightly as I could. I felt my body begin to disappear. "You will look like one of them when you get there!" the doc shouted

"Goodbye" I whispered, placing a hand against the glass as a huge explosion lit up the room in a blaze of flames, I could only watch and silently cry as I finally disappeared from my world, leaving behind nothing but a pile of ash...

**The END?**


End file.
